Revenge is Sweet
by Rainy Miki
Summary: Discontinued/Being rewritten under the title "Retribution".
1. Rin and Lily

**Hey, guys. Here's my first Vocaloid story. Enjoy.**

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_Chapter One: Rin and Lily_

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[RIN'S P.O.V.]

"Oh, did you hear? That Kaiko Shion apparently got rejected by Kagamine-kun right before she transferred schools."

I bit my lip and continued down the stairs, trying to ignore the girls that Haku and I just passed by.

Megurine-sensei had asked the both of us to help her paint the mural and I was not about to let Len Kagamine stop me from doing just that!

"Eh? No way! I didn't know Shion-san was into playboys!"

My grip on the old newspaper tightened. Are they daft? They actually think Len is a playboy? On top of that, they're badmouthing Shion-san's sister!

"Yeah, I heard he went out with over hundreds of girls."

That's a lie! He was still crying over _her_ when they broke up! The one responsible for that rumor was…!

I stopped in my tracks, tired from hearing the girls gossiping. "You're wrong-!" I spun around a bit too quickly, forgetting I was on a staircase. I must have bumped into Haku because the next thing I knew was I was covered with red paint and-

"KAGAAAMIIIINEEEE-SAAAN…."

I looked back to see Hiyama-sensei and Haku drenched from head to toe with red paint. I was not going to enjoy what was to come next.

* * *

"Kagamine-san… I'm starting to wonder if you have something against me!" Hiyama-sensei exploded.

Hiyama-sensei had called me to the teachers' office after we cleaned up. Haku and I fortunately had a set of gym clothes to change into. As for Hiyama-sensei…

I snuck a quick glance at sensei to see him wearing the same suit he was in everyday. The same suit that had red paint splattered over it a few moments ago. It seems like he was unable to clean the red gunk out of his hair because he looked like he had clown hair. I held my breath and looked down, trying hard not to laugh.

"Of course not…" I muttered under my breath, staring at my feet.

"Oh? Is that so? Because last week you threw a basketball at my head and I ended up spilling coffee on myself. A student actually went up to me and asked if I had an accident!"

I stifled another giggle, "That was an accident, sensei."

"The week before that, you pushed my face into a very hot bowl of miso soup."

"I slipped on water."

There was a moment of silence. I could tell that he didn't believe me, so I decided to do what I do best – blame everything on that jerk face!

"It's not my fault, okay? If you're going to blame someone then you should blame that jerk, Len Kagamine! I'm minding my own business and all of a sudden, I hear someone talk about that banana freak! It's hard to concentrate when you keep hearing stupid rumors about that guy!"

"So you're telling me that the reason you _accidentally_ pushed my face into miso soup, _accidentally_ threw a ball at my head, and _accidentally_ got red paint thrown over me is because you were distracted by Kagamine-san?"

I cringed at Hiyama-sensei's last words. Kagamine-san. The OTHER Kagamine-san. Not me, but that banana freak. Of all things the things that we have to share… Blood type, hair color, eye color, birth date, class 2-A, the cafeteria, the same route we take to get home… We just had to share the same last name too!

The only thing that I wished we did share, but didn't was the fact that he was so damn popular. As much as I hate to admit it, Len could do the one thing I couldn't do, make friends.

"Kagamine-san… Rin Kagamine!" I snapped back to reality when I heard Hiyama-sensei call my name.

"Yes!"

"Daydreaming about Len-kun again, are we-?"

Before I knew it, my body moved on its own. I slammed my hands down on the desk, enraged, "You are mistaken, sensei! I absolutely… Under no circumstances will I ever like that guy if that's what you're suggesting…! I… I ABSOLUTELY HATE LEN KAGAMINE."

I felt my breaths stop short when I realized that I had just declared my confession of hate to Hiyama-sensei.

Oooh, this is awkward… Now he's going to ask me to see the school's counselor…

Hiyama-sensei looked taken aback, but it didn't look he was taken aback by my declaration. More like…

I followed his gaze and turned around to see the last person that I would want to see in the world right about now. I felt my stomach flip and jaw drop.

Oh crap, I hate my life.

"Hey… Rin…" Before my eyes, was Len Kagamine.

"ALKNGAKSNSQUEEEEEEE!" I made an inconceivable shriek as I mad-dashed passed Len and out of the teachers' office.

* * *

I could feel it… I swear I could feel that guy's gaze burning into my back. Of course we would have the same classes together too, why wouldn't we?

I glanced from my math notes to the clock. Right, only a few more seconds…

I closed my notebook and stuffed it into my bag. When the bell rang, I ran as fast as I could into the hallway. I headed down the hall as if running from some psychopath. I was safe-!

Or so I thought, until I felt someone grab my wrist.

"Rin, can we talk?"

Oh crap. I looked back to see Len with a dark expression. My eyes shifted to the other students in the hallway.

Greeeaaat… Rumors were starting to spread already. Screw my life.

"No." I spitted out.

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because?"

"Because your face reminds me Gakupo's eggplants and now I'm hungry!"

"You're being unreasonable!"

"Your face is unreasonable!"

"E-Excuse me?" I took this as my opportunity to escape. I banged my head against Len's (very hard too, I might add) and ran as soon as he let go. I could feel a bump forming on my forehead.

* * *

[LEN'S P.O.V.]

"Are you alright, Len?" Miku patched a band-aid on the spot where Rin had bumped my head. She looked at me with a worried expression.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Miku." I grinned.

"Really, the nerve of that girl, and you only wanted to talk to her."

"I just don't understand why Rin hates me," I looked down to my feet, "We used to hang out together all the time last year… And then… She just stopped talking to me one day."

I heard an almost inaudible sigh come from Neru. I looked up, confused, "What?"

"You two, are so oblivious…" She said as she tinkered with her yellow phone.

"What do you mean? Do you know something, Neru?" I questioned.

"Huh? Wait, what?" Miku was just as confused as I was.

"It's expected that Miku wouldn't know anything about it since we only met her this year, but really, Len? You can't think of any reason as to why Rin hates you now of all times?" Neru looked up from her cell phone and gave me an almost angry expression.

"What… Are you talking about…? Of course I can't… We both know that she just stopped hanging out with us one day-"

"No, Len. **You** know – or at least **you** think **you** know that she just stopped hanging out with us out of the blue." Neru said, rubbing her temples.

"Did I do something wrong…?"

"Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner."

"Ah, so you do know then, Neru! You'll tell me why then?"

Neru sighed once again, "Len… What happened a year ago on December 24th?"

"Christmas Eve?" Miku answered for me.

"Yeah, what about it- Oh…" Right, that was the day that _she_…

"Yeah, _oh_-"

"That was the day that Lily left…" I looked down to my shoes, to hide my probably obvious pained expression.

Lily… I wonder how she's doing… That was the last time we spoke.

_Please, Len… Don't contact me anymore._

"Agh! Len, sometimes… You're such an idiot!" I looked up to see Neru with a frustrated expression. The next thing I knew, she bolted up from her seat and left the classroom, leaving Miku and I alone.

I'm an idiot? … Did something else happen last year on Christmas Eve?

"Neru!" I heard a sigh come from Miku, "Hey… Len?"

I turned to Miku after recovering from my shock, "Yeah?"

"Who's Lily?"

* * *

[NERU'S P.O.V.]

I caught eye of a yellow garbage can that resembled Len as I stormed out of the classroom. As if my anger had peaked automatically when I laid my eyes on it, I marched over to the innocent waste bin and began thrashing away at it like it was Len there. "Stupid inconsiderate jerk face! Len, you're such an oblivious, banana-loving fop! The next time we're going on a school trip, I'll push you into some ditch where no one will find you! Maybe then you'll think long and hard as to why-!" I was interrupted by a sudden hold onto my hand.

"Whoa, Neru… Chill. I mean, seriously, yandere* mode much?" I looked back to see Mikuo with a hold on my hand.

I felt my face flush in embarrassment and pulled my hand away instantly. Out of all the people that I had to lose my cool in front of, it had to be this guy! This... This… Leek monster! Seriously, what is up with him and his sister being so obsessed over leeks for?

"What do you want from me, Mikuo?" I hissed in annoyance.

"Well, I was originally looking for Miku, but then I saw the strangest thing ever. This girl was attacking and screaming at some poor, defenseless garbage can. Being the nice person I am, I decided to approach her who was obviously in need of some serious psychological attention."

"Har-de-har-har. Hatsune is in classroom 207, you know that." I folded my arms and shifted my gaze to the yellow waste bin.

"Hmmm." I looked back to Mikuo who smirked.

"What?"

"Did you know that you call my sister by her family name, while you call me by my first name?" Mikuo grinned like the idiot he was, "I wonder if that means that Neru-chan likes me?"

I frowned and answered him with a smack to the side of his head, "No, idiot."

"OUCH!" Mikuo held his head. "Geez, Neru… You're so pissy today… Like… 40% more pissy than usual. What's up?"

What? Did he just call me pissy? That does it. I'm pushing Mikuo into that ditch with Len.

"Can't say, needed to vent, the garbage can was my only solution." I answered as quickly as I could and went back to glaring at the garbage can.

"… This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with Len… Would it?"

"Len's a sweet guy… But he's a dumbass."

"Eh?"

"I asked him what happened last year on Christmas Eve."

"… Let me guess 'That was the day that Lily left.'"

"Exactly, he forgot all about Rin from that time to now."

"Why get angry over it now though?" I heard Mikuo sigh.

"Mikuo, you don't understand. It's as if all he had on his mind at that time was Lily and Rin didn't even exist."

"… That's none of our business though-"

"No, listen to me, Mikuo! It may not be any of your business, but it certainly is my business!"

"…What?"

"If Rin ends up hating Len anymore than she already does, then that'll be my fault because I was the one who got her hopes up to call Len out last year on Christmas Eve so she could confess to him."

Mikuo was shocked. "But… He went to see Lily off at the airport that day- Oh shit." It took him long enough; realization had finally donned upon him. But that didn't seem to be the case. "Len, how long have you been standing there?"

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**I'm sorry, guys and girls. I know my grammar is a bit off here and there if you pay close attention. Anyway, I'm not sure when the next chapter may come out, since school has been keeping me pretty busy these days, but I'll try to update as soon as possible. Thanks for reading, everyone!**

*** Yandere: A Japanese anime/manga character archetype, a character that is loving, sweet & gentle that can suddenly switch to brutal psychotic or deranged behavior.**


	2. Working with this CrossDresser Again

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed and added this story to their favorites. I really appreciate the effort. I'm so sorry this chapter isn't as long as the previous one and it took me so long to update it too. = ^ = I've been swamped with school work since it's almost the end of the year.**

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**Here's chapter two, enjoy.**

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_Chapter Two: Working with this Cross-Dresser Again_

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[LEN'S P.O.V.]

"Len, how long have you been standing there?" Mikuo stared in shock when he noticed my presence.

"… Hm? I just got here, actually. Ah, did I interrupt something- Ah! Don't tell me I interrupted a confession, perhaps?"

"… Yes, Len! How could you embarrass Neru-chan like that?" Mikuo offered.

"What-?" Neru looked shocked, almost offended, actually.

"But, alas, I can't accept your feelings Neru-chan! I'm afraid that being involved with someone like me will only harm you!"

"What kind of bullshit is this? Are you taking lessons from Gakupo or something?" Neru's terrifying screech- er… Protest, I mean- nearly shattered my eardrums.

"No, Neru-chan! I can't, I can't be seen with you anymore! It'll only cause trouble for you!"

"Really, Mikuo… What the hell are you smoking?" Neru's cheeks flushed in embarrassment; I chuckled to myself.

"No! Don't look at me with those eyes! I won't fall into temptation!" Neru must have been pretty ticked off because the next thing we knew, she stormed off after knocking Mikuo down with a yellow garbage can.

"Are you okay, Mikuo?" I offered a hand to him, pulling him up to his feet.

"We need to talk."

* * *

[RIN'S P.O.V.]

Since the supplies that Haku and I had were… wasted… Megurine-sensei asked us to bring her more from the art department. I entered the designated room and proceeded to set my bag down on the first desk I saw. "Hey, Haku, sorry to make you wait… I got the room number mixed up. Well, shall we get started then? Those buckets of paint can get pretty heavy-"

"Haku?" A masculine voice mimicked the name that I just called out. I looked up to see a face that was very different from Haku's. Oh shit-

"Piko?"

"Rin Kagamine!"

An awkward silence filled the room and we exchanged glares. That's it… I'm officially convinced that the world hates me. First Len, now Piko. I just had to be stuck in the same room they were in. When I realized that we were getting nowhere, I swallowed my pride and ended the staring contest.

"Where's Haku?"

"Megurine-sensei switched her over to a different duty." Piko looked away, as if refusing to acknowledge me.

I raised my eyebrow in suspicion, "And just how did that happen?"

"… No idea." He said with a singsong tone and an apathetic expression. "It just did." Piko shifted his gaze to me.

I felt a vein pop. This kid… Is incredibly irritating!

* * *

I fell into a kneeling position when the work was finished- I felt like a human _OTL_*. As always, working with that brat is incredibly labor intensive. I frowned at the unhappy memories that began to flood back into my mind.

(_Let's work together._

_ E-Eh? What do you mean?_

_ You like Len and I want to protect my sister. So let's split them up._

Upon hearing those words, Rin blushed in embarrassment. She looked away, blinking nervously.

_I-I won't betray Len-kun! I'll make him fall in love with me without your sneaky tactics!_

_ Are you kidding me? With the way things are going now, you wouldn't stand a chance against my sister!_

Rin was stunned, fallen victim to Piko's words.

_Well? Do we have a deal?_

Piko held out his hand.)

"Stupid cross-dresser," I mumbled to Piko who had already left the room ages ago. I pulled my orange phone out of my school bag and flipped it open to check the time, but instead found an unread text message:

_ Can we talk? I'll be waiting outside the school._

_ -Len_

I stared at the screen, ready to toss my phone out the window. How did he get my number? I inched over to the window and looked outside. Just like the text said, he was there. "You have got to be kidding me-" My phone vibrated again to show another incoming text message:

_Rin,_

_ Meet me for a cup of tea after school? You know the place._

_ -Neru_

* * *

I looked back to make sure that no one was following me. I was able to sneak pass Len by having Haku distract him, but I could never be too sure with that guy.

I pushed the door to the café open and entered to see a busy and bustling scene. I looked around to see Neru sitting at the usual table, sipping at her drink. I walked over and braced myself.

"Rin, you came…" Neru looked surprised.

"You wanted to talk?" I sat down in the seat opposite to her.

"I didn't think that you would come to be honest."

"Why?"

"Because you decided to cut off all ties with us after what happened." Neru's lips curved to form a small smile. For a second I felt a pang of guilt in my heart. Right… When I did that… Len wasn't the only one I ignored… Neru was too…

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, "If that's all you called me here to talk about today then-"

"Sorry. I shouldn't have told you to meet up with Len last year. It was stupid of me to even bring it up." And once again, she managed to catch me off guard with her words.

"It's fine. At least now I know where we stand." I said, trying to keep my voice from cracking.

"Let's… Have lunch together tomorrow, okay?"

"Wh-What? Seriously?" I bit my bottom lip and began playing with my strands of long hair, avoiding to make any eye contact with her. "I-"

I was interrupted by a yelp from the background. I turned around to follow where the distraction came from. It seems a waitress spilt coffee on one of the customers. I heard a muffled sorry from her.

"Ah, that's the new waitress. Ever since you quit working here, Meiko has been hiring a new waitress almost every single month now."

Wait a minute… White hair? I shifted in my position and strained my neck to see the waitress's face. It couldn't be… I got up from my seat to get a better view of the waitress's face.

"Huh, Rin? Where are you going?" The waitress turned around and our eyes locked in contact. I could've sworn that my eyes almost bulged out of my eye sockets.

"P-P-PIK-!" I was whisked away to the backroom in a heartbeat before I could finish a word.

"Why are you here?" I was shoved into the room.

"I was meeting with a friend. A better question: why are _you_ here? Meiko only hires female waitresses! What are you doing here, dressed as a girl, Piko?" I almost shouted, but Piko covered my mouth and shushed me.

"I-I need it, okay? I need this job. So, please, shut up about this!"

I removed Piko's hand and let out an exasperated sigh, "Fine."

"Thank you." It sounded as if he was forcing himself to say that.

There was a moment of silence after that. Before things got to awkward, I made a move to leave, "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get back to my friend before-"

"Why are you here with Akita?"

I swallowed. Damn it, I didn't think that he'd notice her… "What I do is none of your business."

"It is- considering what happened last year. Are you going to associate yourself with him again?"

"Don't worry; I'm not going to be fooled twice."

"Akita is friends with him."

"But she's also friends with me."

"If she truly viewed you as a friend then she would have abandoned that guy when you did and supported your decision." I flinched at Piko's words.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Was Piko right? I shook my head and proceeded for the door, only to be stopped once again.

"Rin," there was a sudden seriousness in his tone. I waited for him to continue, "Lily is coming back home in a month."

* * *

I closed the door and kicked my shoes off. When I got to my dining room, I noticed a plate of food with plastic wrap over it. There was a note beside it:

_Rin,_

_ I'm going to be home late again tonight, we're just about to break through this case. Please don't wait up for me._

_ Love you,_

_ Mom_

I frowned at the note and ignored the plate of food on the table, heading straight to my room. I took a pair of scissors out from my drawers and faced the vanity mirror.

_ (Rin, Lily is coming back home in a month._

Rin turned around and stared at him with a look of bewilderment, but she soon regained her composure.

_Why are you telling me this?_

_ I think we both know how Len will react._

_ I have nothing to do with him anymore-_

Rin was interrupted by an abrupt outburst from an impatient Piko.

_Make him fall in love with you._

_ A-Are you kidding me? Why would I do something like that?_

Her face flushed with anger and embarrassment.

_ Don't you want revenge? If you make him fall in love with you and dump him then you'll be able to do to him what he did to you; I won't have to worry about my sister either anymore._

He held out his hand the same way he did so a year ago.

_Let's work together again.)_

My phone vibrated again. I flipped it open to find another text message from Len:

_You never showed up. Why?_

I shut my phone, tossed it onto my bed. I took the pair of scissors in hand and began snipping away at my long strands of hair, recreating my past self from a year ago.

_(_Rin reached out and shook Piko's hand.

_ Len-Kun… I'm sorry.)_

Neru… I'm sorry. But it's no longer in my nature to be the same nice person that I was a year ago.

* * *

**This chapter isn't that funny and there wasn't much Len in this chapter either. Dx I'll try to add him into the next chapter. ****Anyway, thanks for reading, everyone!**

*** OTL: ****OTL is an emoticon representing failure.****  
****O represents the head****  
****T represents the arms on the ground****  
****L represents the legs on the ground**


	3. I Won't Lose to You for a Second Time

**Sorry, guys. I've had writer's block for the longest time. T u T;;**

* * *

_Chapter Three: I Won't Lose to You for a Second Time_

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[LEN'S P.O.V.]

I stared at the figure in front of me, wide eyed and all. "Rin, your hair…" I pointed out. Her long golden hair had been cut short. White clips were placed in her bangs to keep them from going into her eyes and she wore a white hair ribbon to accessorize. She resembled the innocent and docile Rin I knew from a year ago.

"Let's go out." And then the illusion broke.

"What?" Did I just hear that correctly? Did Rin actually just ask me out?

"Let's go out." She repeated and gave me a look as if I had some hearing condition.

"I thought you said you hated me…"

"I'm asking because you said you wanted to talk. But if you don't want to then-"

"I'll go!" I shouted a little too loudly, earning the attention of the many students in the hall. I quickly recoiled in silence when I realize all eyes were on us. Rin seemed to be even more irritated than before.

"I'll meet you outside of school later." She said and left as quickly as she came, leaving me in a daze.

"There you are! I was looking for you everywhere!" I looked up to see Mikuo walk over to me.

"Oh. Hey there, Mikuo…"

"Yikes, what's with that look on your face?"

"Ah… Rin just asked me out…"

"Dude, Rin scares me. I hope you didn't say yes."

"I did."

"Are you insane? Didn't she make some big declaration of hate about killing you or something?" Mikuo replied.

News travels fast. Wait a minute… I was there when this happened. Rin doesn't want to kill me! Or at least I hope she doesn't…

"Len!" Mikuo's voice brought me back to reality.

I smirked, regaining my usual composure "She did, but you know what, Mikuo? I'm going to turn that, 'I absolutely hate Len Kagamine' into an, 'I like Len Kagamine'. "

* * *

[RIN'S P.O.V.]

I quickened my pace to escape from the glares of Len's malicious fan girls. Dear god! What is wrong with these girls? I only talked to the idiot for five minutes, at most, and I'm already being chased as if I committed murder! I looked back to see the group of pursuers following behind slowly. I quickened my pace again, only to collide into something- or someone.

I stumbled a bit, but regain my footing. I looked up to see that the person that I had collided into was Shion-san. I felt my face heat up. "SH-SH-SHION-SAN! I'm so sorry!" I blurted out.

"Ah, Rin-chan. Don't worry about it. Rather, are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine! I should have paid more attention to where I was going! I'm so sorry Shion-san!"

"You know you can use my first name, right? After all, we are good friends."

"Y-YES! KAITO!" I shouted a bit too loudly. Shi- I mean, Kaito laughed it off.

"Oh, hey, you cut your hair."

"Hah… Hah… Yeah." I laughed nervously. I felt myself falling into despair. That's right… I forgot… I grew my hair long because Shi- I mean, Kaito said that he thought girls with long hair look cute. I worked so hard to get my hair to the condition it was in. I spent so much money buying the right kind of shampoo and conditioner. I spent so many hours combing through it. I made sure to eat the right types of food with the vitamins and minerals to promote hair growth every single day- and I cut it, without so much of a thought crossing my mind, yesterday because of that raging jerk-a-holic! I HATE YOU, LEN KAGAMINE!

"It suits you! You look just like a puppy!"

Wait, what?

"Kaito, Hiyama-sensei wants to see you!" A voice called out from afar.

"Ah, sorry, I'll talk to you later, Rin-chan!" Kaito ran off.

I stood there, awestruck, not noticing Haku approach me. His words replayed in my mind over and over again. _I look like a puppy._ I look_ like a puppy._ I look like a _puppy. _Oh my god! Kaito just compare my face to a dog's!

"Rin, let's go eat lunch over there-"

"NOOO!"

"I'M SO SORRY!" By the time, I realized Haku's presence, she ran away.

* * *

I sighed in despair as I peeled the orange carcass off the fruit. I ended up eating lunch alone today. I know promised to eat lunch with Neru, but I don't think I can face her at the moment. I'm pretty sure she already knows that I asked to meet that idiot outside of school.

I groaned again. Ugh, that's right. I have to meet him after school. I really don't want to see his face for a second time, today.

"You're awfully lively." I looked up to see Piko setting down his tray of lunch; he sat down in the seat opposite of mine. "So, you asked Kagamine out." It wasn't a question- more like a statement with a hint of ridicule in his voice.

I groaned for a third time. Of course he knows. By now, the whole school probably knows. This was the Len Kagamine after all. "Don't rub it in."

He smirked, "It's a good start. You'll have him right where you want him soon enough."

"I don't want him though." I frowned.

"Quit complaining."

"You're still a brat."

"Tch. At least I didn't fall in love with some guy who stood me up for his ex."

"I'll kill you." And then the conversation ended. At least, it did until laughter broke the silence. "What?" I puzzled at Piko's sudden outburst in laughter.

"We're so weird. I mean- if you think about it, this is a seriously screwed up relationship we have going on."

"Correction: partnership- not relationship. We have no relationship. Anyway, now that I think about it, I'm doing all the work in this partnership. Exactly, what are _you_ doing?"

Piko smirked deviously. "I'm guiding you though the process, of course."

"What?" I gave him a dubious look.

"I hope you haven't forgotten that your goal is to make him fall in love with you. It'd do you good to actually be nice to the guy."

I scoffed. He wants me to make that creep fall in love with me _and_ have me be nice to him? "I-"

"Rin." I felt my body tense up when I heard Neru call my name. Oh, shit. I turned around to see Neru with a not so entertained look on her face.

"H-Hey." I waved.

"Didn't we promise to have lunch together today? Let's go."

I looked over to Piko for help, who in turned gave me a nonchalant expression. Ugh, he's such a brat.

* * *

I ended up leaving Piko behind to finish his lunch and following Neru. "Rin, why did you ask Len out?"

I swallowed, hard. I knew that it was going to come to this. "Ah, well…" I looked around the hallway, searching for an excuse.

"I thought you had given up on him."

"I have. I'm only meeting up with him because he said he wanted to have a talk with me."

Neru sighed. "You were a bad liar then and you are a bad liar now."

I felt something snap, "I'm not lying!" I was not lying. It's not lying if what I told her was partially true. It's not lying if I didn't include all the details! It's not lying if I-! And then I realized what I had done. "I'm sorry, I promised to help Megurine-sensei today. Let's have lunch together some other time." I ran off before I could hear Neru say anything else.

* * *

I flipped the cover to my orange cell phone open and checked the time. It's been an hour already… And that jerk still hasn't shown up. I should have known better than to trust him again. I got up from the bench I was sitting on and started walking home.

"Rin!" Someone called from behind. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was. Who else could it be, besides that jerk? "Rin! Slow down!"

I quickened my pace, not wanting to deal with him. "No!" And then, for a second time in this week, he seized my wrist. Ew, gross. "My god! WHAT?" I twisted around, obviously upset.

"Why are you so angry? You were supposed to meet me afterschool." He said with an annoyed expression on his face.

I could feel my eyebrow twitch. Did he actually just ask me _why_ I was angry? I felt my blood boil. This guy is dense. How- or rather- why on earth did I ever fall in love with him to begin with? "Yes… That's right. How silly of me, we _were_ supposed to meet afterschool. Except, 'afterschool' was an hour ago! Do you not have a working cell phone that actually tells you the correct time, for a change?"

"What are you talking about? My cell phone works perfectly fine!" Out of all the things he chooses to respond to- he responds to this?

"That's not the point-!"

"I have tutoring! I get out of school an hour after you!"

What? "Wh-" I stopped myself from reacting. I wasn't going to admit to being wrong. "I'm going home!" I turned around and began walking home again.

"Rin!" He called out again. "I'm going to make you like me again!"

I stopped in my tracks. Is he insane? He's going to make me like him again? I turned around, prepared to tell him to fall into a ditch. "Are you kid-"

(_"I hope you haven't forgotten that your goal is to make him fall in love with you. It'd do you good to actually be nice to the guy."_)

I stopped myself when Piko's warning replayed in my mind. That's right… My goal is to make him fall in love with me… When I regained my composure, I smirked at him. "Fine, I sincerely hope that you do your best then." There is absolutely no force of nature that can ever make me like you again, Len.

* * *

**I had fun writing this chapter, I really did. I'm sorry, but I enjoy being mean to Len and I like writing Rin with a silly personality every now and then. ; u ;**

**CluelessLeaf: Hehe, yeah, Piko is pretty overprotective. You'll learn why in the later chapters. ;D**

**vocaloid neko: I'll try to be clearer in the future. Thanks for the review!**

**MaxJacksonCullenGirl: Oh, gosh. I laughed so hard when I realized the mistake. Thank you so much!**

**TsundereMe: Hehe, maybe. ;D And thanks, I try to be funny sometimes. T u T;;**

**Sweet Lolita Kisses: Thank you!**

** The anonymous reviewer who has no name: Thank you!**

**iLen-Rin: Aww, thanks. ; u ; I try to make everyone's personality likable or at least, understandable.**


	4. 44 out of 100

**I'M ALIVE. 0 U 0;; Sorry for the atrociously late update. I've been pretty busy. ; o ;**

* * *

_Chapter Four: 44 out of 100_

* * *

[RIN'S P.O.V.]

I let a sigh escape from my lips. How on earth did it turn out like this? I want to know what I did to deserve this.

(_"Fine, I sincerely hope that you do your best then."_)

Apparently, when I said this, I had no idea as to just how determined Len was at that time.

"Rin, do you want to go to karaoke after school?"

"No."

"How about going to the theme park?"

"No."

"The mall-?"

"Don't you have tutoring?" I interrupted him when I felt my irritation reach its capacity.

"Not today." Len grinned childishly.

"Len!" It was his friend- er… What's her name again…? Miku? She walked over to us.

"Hey, Miku. What's up-?" And then he was whisked away before he could finish his sentence. Finally, I have some peace and quiet. I slipped into the cafeteria before Len could come back to find me.

* * *

[MIKU'S P.O.V.]

I let go of Len's hand when we got back to our classroom, "You've been hard to get a hold of lately, Len." I frowned in disapproval.

"What? That's not-!" I stared at him with a look of demur before he could finish his sentence. "Fine, you got me there…"

"So, how did it go?"

"How did what go?" Len looked puzzled.

"You asked me for a bunch of places that a girl would like to go to on a date yesterday. You can't expect me to not ask you for the details."

"About that…" He mumbled.

"Hm? I can't hear you." I moved closer to hear him.

"I got rejected." Len fell into what looked like a depressed state.

I gasped in shock, "No way! Someone actually rejected the Len Kagamine? Who is this girl? Ah! Wait! It's Rin… Isn't it?"

"Mm…" Len gave a small, almost unnoticeable nod.

I frowned, "What's so good about that girl anyway? If you ask me… She's acting like a brat…"

"You're only saying that because you didn't know Rin when she still used to hang out with us." Len snapped up, out of his depressed state. I gave him a puzzled look.

"She couldn't have been that great…"

"Rin was- is very nice! Maybe you don't see her that way now, but that's only because she doesn't like me and that's partially my fault! That's why I-" Len stopped. "What?"

"Hmm…" I smiled slyly at him. "It's just that you're defending her so much. It almost sounds like you like her." I giggled at the thought. Sure, I don't seem to like this Rin girl much, but the thought of Len getting flustered over a girl that he can't have and trying to defend her was very adorable.

"Of course I like Rin! … As a friend!"

"Heh, heh, heh. He says for now." I gave Len another sly look.

"You scare me sometimes, Miku."

"Boo. Well, excuse me." I took in a deep breath, "If you're going to such lengths just to defend her, then I guess she's not as bad as I think she is. If Neru-tan and you are friends with her then I'll be friends with her too." I gave Len a reassuring smile.

* * *

[RIN'S P.O.V.]

"Why are you here again?" I stared at Piko, who I was eating lunch with for a second time this week.

"I'm your consultant. Why wouldn't I be here?" Piko picked up a fry from my tray and munched away at it.

"Hey! I paid for those!"

"Don't be such a glutton."

"I'M a glutton?" By the time I finished my sentence, Piko was already done with my tray of fries. What on earth? Does he have a vacuum for a mouth?

"Ah, that needed ketchup. Well, anyway, thanks for the meal." He got up out of his seat. I reached out and grabbed his wrist before he could get away.

"Hold up! I want my $1.25 back!"

"If I brought money with me today, I wouldn't have eaten your fries."

I scoffed. This… This brat was unbelievable! "You're a con artist!"

"Technically, I didn't scam you."

"Fine, then, you're a thief!"

I heard Piko sigh, "Fine, if you're that intent on getting your money's worth…" Piko sat back down. I let go of his wrist once I was sure that he wasn't going anywhere. "Have you seen the results for the midterms yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Well, you know how you and Len are always in the same class every year?"

Yamaha Academy is an escalator school that ranges from the middle school grade levels to the high school grade levels. I transferred to Yamaha Academy in the seventh grade after my mother's job transfer. And in every single year that I've been in Yamaha Academy, I was placed in the same class as Len… Sure, it was great at first, since I was just another mindless-zombie-Len-fan girl who dedicated most of her time into stalking the guy, but now, I realize what a pain it is. And Piko wasn't helping.

"Yes…" I finally answered.

"And you know how he always gets top scores?"

"Get to the point." My patience was running low.

"Guess who received one of the lowest scores on the midterms for math just recently?" Piko said with a smirk on his face. Was this relevant? I gave him a confused look which soon faded into awe when Piko spoke once again, "Len Kagamine."

"WH-WHAT?" I half gasped and half choked upon hearing Piko's words. "B-But…! But how?"

"Who knows?" Piko said in a singsong voice. "More importantly… Offer him lessons."

"What?" I felt my brain cease all comprehension of our conversation. "What? Wait, WHAT?"

"Offer him lessons in math- Tutor the guy! I mean, I've seen your scores before, you're not that bad at math."

"That's not the point! I mean- exactly how am I going to benefit from tutoring him?" I crossed my arms, giving Piko a doubting look.

"Dear god! Don't you read any shoujo manga?"

"Wh-… Pftt! Of course I do!"

"Huhh, I bet you're one of those tomboyish types…" I fell silent to his comment. "Did I hit a nerve?"

"Wh-… This is off topic!" I argued. Does he have a death wish? Piko, you obviously want me to kill you.

"Tutor Len and you'll be able to get closer to him. Geez, Rin, when you fell out of love, did you lose all of your knowledge on romance?"

"Shut up." I got up and proceeded to the hallway leading to the main entrance of the school. There is no way that what Piko told me could be correct. I approached the bulletin board, where the results for the midterms are posted up and began to scan through the list of names.

Oh, what do you know? Shi- Kaito placed second in his class. Whoa, I knew he was smart. Wait, Kaito is a twelfth grader… And he's not in my class… I'm looking at the wrong list. I moved a few lists over to class 2-C, our class, and ran through the names. Finally, I found Len's name... EGADS! He scored 44 out of 100!

* * *

[LEN'S P.O.V.]

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. By the time that I finished jamming my notebook into my backpack, Rin was already out the door. "Rin!" I ran after her in a hurry. "Are you free now? We could go to the arcade and-"

"Kaito!" I was interrupted when Rin broke off into a dash toward the library.

"Ah, Rin wait!" I followed her, but stopped when I saw that what she was running to was a person. Oh, _Kaito._

"Hey, Rin-chan."

"Hey, I saw your score on the midterms. You got second place. Congrats!" Rin smiled cheerfully. Wait, she intentionally looked for _his_ score? That's not creepy at all.

"Ahahah, you saw that? How embarrassing. Oh, yeah. Do you want some cake?" He held up a purplish box. What… This guy sounds like a total pedo.

"Huh? Are you sure?" Rin's eyes were practically gleaming.

"Yeah, Gakupo gave it to me, but I can't eat it since I have a toothache and I don't want the food to go to waste." Oh, he's friends with Gakupo… That settles it; he must be a pedo.

"Oh, okay, then." Rin took the purplish box. "I hope your toothache gets better."

"Thanks!" And then I froze at the moment I made eye contact with him. "Oh, hello. A friend of yours, Rin?"

"Uwah…" Rin froze as well. "Ah… Well… More like an unwanted stalker…" Rin muttered. Wait! An unwanted stalker? Hey! Kaito didn't seem to hear her.

"I'm Len Kagamine!" H-How does he not know who I was? I'm practically famous in this school!

"Oh, well, it's nice to meet you. I'm Kaito Shion, by the way." He flashed a friendly smile at me. "Right, I have an appointment with the dentist. I'm going to have to get going. It was nice meeting you, Len-chan. Later, Rin-chan!" He left before I could make an objection. Len-chan? Seriously? I mean… Why Len-chan? I'm a 15 year old for god's sake! I'd be fine if he had called me Len-Kun or-

"Let's go." I looked up to see Rin with a refreshed smile on her face.

"Huh?" Wait… Is Rin smiling at _me_? "What? Where to?"

"The library, obviously." Rin pulled the door to the library open.

"Why?"

"Because… I'm going to tutor you in math. Your score for the midterm was atrocious." Rin said in an as-a-matter-of-fact voice. Rin was looking at my score too. Rin was looking at _my_ horrible score too! "What's with that goofy smile on your face? It's creepy. Stop it."

"Let's go!" I took Rin's hand and dashed inside the library.

"Uwah! Hey! Let go!" At the time, I was in too much of an elated mood to respond to Rin's complaints.

Hey, guess what, Rin? Even though you don't like me, I can still see that you're still a very nice person. I'm pretty sure we'll be friends again in no time.

* * *

**Hahahah, I bet you guys thought Miku was going to be all "I hate Rin." ;D**

**Anyway, not much to say for this chapter, but I did like writing the scene where Len meets Kaito. He's actually a pretty selfish and judging guy… Or maybe he's just jealous. Ohohoho. Who saw that coming? ; u ;**

**From now on, I'm only going to post up replies to the reviewers without an account… Because I just found out I could PM replies to those with an account on fanfiction. 0 u 0;; Ahah, I feel like an idiot now.**

**dacritic: Thank you! **

**vocaloid neko: M-MIKI-SAMA? Oh gosh, that's so sweet. I don't know if I deserve that title. Thanks! **


	5. Jealousy

**Holy crap! Why did I neglect this story for such a long time?**

* * *

_Chapter Five: Jealousy_

* * *

[LEN'S P.O.V.]

"So…" I glanced over to Rin, who was smiling as if in a happy trance. I looked away, back at my paper. "Uh… X would be…" I continued, unsure if Rin was even listening. "Uh… Rin…?"

"Yeah?" Rin answered in a cheerful tone before she popped another piece of the cake into her mouth.

"You're… Really enjoying that cake… Aren't you?" I asked.

"Mmm… Yeah. Oh right," She took the pencil out of my hand and reached over to circle one of the multiple choice answers, "X would be 2. Got it?"

"Huh? What?"

"You circled B. The answer is A. You only used part of the quadratic formula. You forgot to divide by 2. That's why you got 4." Rin explained in a way that I finally understood.

"Wait…" I reexamined by notes. "No wonder I couldn't find an answer for the other questions… Man…" I looked up at Rin and grinned. "Thanks! You know… You're pretty good at math. I would've never guessed from when we first met." I joked- oh crap, why did I just do that? This is not the time to be joking! I totally forgot Rin hates my guts!

"Yeah, well, I did suck at math when we first met, didn't I?" Rin, to my surprise, responded in a calm manner and took another bite out of the cake. I had expected her to yell at me again, but instead she continued to scribble down notes on the sheet of loose-leaf and even had a sincere smile on her face. Compared to all the other times I spoke with her during this year, her facial features looked so gentle…

"Ah… Yeah…" I subconsciously said. Wait, why am I agreeing with her? Dear god! Am I trying to get killed by Rin?

"A senpai helped me out. That's why I'm so good at math now. Everything was thanks to him." Rin said in an almost soothing voice. "Kaito." And then everything fell to darkness. That one name brought me back to reality.

"What?"

"Kaito-senpai, he thought me." Of course, who else would it be? After all, he does have one of the highest scores in his class, apparently.

"We should stop for today." I suggested.

"Hm? Mm… Yeah, it is getting pretty late, huh?" Rin got up and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Tomorrow then." She waved, leaving first.

"Tomorrow, huh…" I gathered my belongings and made my way to the exit, but stopped when I felt my phone vibrate. I took out my phone and flipped it open- it was Miku:

_WHAT THE HELL, LEN. YOU BUTT FACE. YOU HAD A STUDY DATE WITH RIN AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME? BOOO. YOU SUCK!_

_ ~Miku_

"Study date?" I chuckled softly at the idea. Rin would probably kill if she saw this. Just as I was about to reply to the message, I received another text:

_MEET YOU OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL? I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED._

_ ~Miku_

The message ended with Miku's creepy signature emoticon. And then, it hit me. How did Miku know where I was?

* * *

"SPILL! What happened? How did you get Rin to meet up with you so suddenly? Did she forgive you? Did she beat you up? Did she promise to push you into a ditch somewhere?" Miku bombarded me with questions.

"One at a time!" I yelled out, obviously irritated. Wait… Push me into a ditch? I shook it off.

"So, what did happen…?" Miku asked again after things calmed down for me.

"She offered to tutor me." I muttered.

"Wait, what? She offered to tutor you?" Miku practically shouted in surprise. "T-This is great! This means she doesn't hate you as much, after all!"

"Yeah."

"Alright, what the hell, Len?" Miku asked in a serious tone, drawing all my attention to the sudden change in mood.

"What?" I attempted to mask the hesitance in my voice.

"You're being strange, Len! Come on! Tell me! What's wrong?" Miku lashed out in frustration. She saw through me completely. I remained silent for the while- until Miku spoke up again, "If I'm your friend then you'd tell me what's wrong, Len! The very least your friend could do is listen to your troubles." Miku's words stung, hard. I could feel myself smiling a bit. She really is Mikuo's sister. They're so alike.

"Thanks, Miku. But I'm really fine. It's just that I'm really tired. Being tired has that sort of effect on your attitude, you know?" I laughed it off.

"Oh… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that…"

"Don't worry about it." I grinned. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

"Yeah… Tomorrow."

* * *

I continuously stared at the plain ceiling, contemplating over the events of this week.

_("Please forget everything you heard just now." Mikuo said in a demanding and serious voice._

_ "I'm afraid I cannot do that." Len replied in just as serious of a voice._

_ "Len!" Mikuo's composure was lost. "I am begging you! It's better off if you just pretend that you don't know about this! For both Rin and Neru's sake, please act like you don't know a thing." I didn't respond. "For your sake too, Len. If you're human, then please forget.")_

"Len! Mikuo is here to see you!" Mom called from below. I sat up from my bed when I heard the door to my room squeak open.

"Did Miku send you?" I looked up at Mikuo.

"You sure don't waste any time." Mikuo laughed jokingly as he sat at the center of my room. "She was really worried you know. It almost sounded life threatening when she came to me. I take it that it was something that couldn't be discussed with Miku?"

I sighed, dropping back down, staring at the ceiling again. "I really am immature aren't I? The way I'm acting… It's as if I am reverting back to my old ways."

"Something wrong?"

"Would it… Would it be wrong for me to be jealous?"

"You're jealous? Of who- Kaito?" I jolted up, back erect, wide eyed at Mikuo and all.

"You…! How… Ack… So that's how Miku knew…"

"I saw you guys outside of the library. You looked like you were ready to maul the poor guy." Mikuo chuckled.

"It's not funny." I collapsed back onto my mattress.

"Do you… LIKE Rin?"

"Well, yeah… I mean as a friend of course- … Except we're not really friends right now…" My voice trailed off, along with my confidence.

"That's not what I meant. I mean-"

"I know! Not in that way, okay?" The moment I raised my voice, I regretted it because a long period of silence followed afterward.

Mikuo spoke again, "So you got jealous because she started paying attention to someone other than you? … You're not an attention whore at all." I twitched at Mikuo's words.

"Gee. Thanks." I said sarcastically and glanced over to see Mikuo wearing an idiotic grin on his face. The same idiotic grin that cheered me up whenever I felt down; this time, even if it was only a bit, it succeeded as well. I looked away, slightly cheered up.

"It's fine if you're jealous. Frankly, I like you better when you're like this. Miku and I get to poke fun at you this way. And also," Mikuo paused for a second as if waiting for me to turn all my attention to him- and so I did, "you're only human, right? I don't think you need a right to be human."

I felt at awe, hearing Mikuo's words. He was right… Why had it taken me so long to realize this? I broke out into laughter. I was such an idiot.

"Whoa, did you go crazy there, Len?"

"Pftt… What you just said… You don't know how corny that sounded just now! Ahahah!"

"Hey! You know, I totally sounded cool just now! Don't deny it!"

Why was I dwelling on something so trivial? My only main focus now should be repairing my relationship with Rin. "Thanks, Mikuo. I owe you one."

* * *

[MIKUO'S P.O.V.]

"Bye, Len, Obaa-san!" I waved to Len and his mother and left their residence, making my way home. Len, you're an idiot. Do you not realize that this was how you acted when you were still with Lily? You're falling for Rin, dumbass.

* * *

[RIN'S P.O.V.]

What is this? I stared at my empty desk with a blank expression. I kneeled down once again to check the storage compartment of the desk- nothing. What is THIS?

"Rin, here are your notes from yesterday-"

"WHAT IS THIS?" I exploded in rage.

"I'M SO SORRY. I DIDN'T MEAN TO SPILL SOYSAUCE ON YOUR NOTES!" And once again, I succeeded in accidentally scaring Haku away.

* * *

I wandered the halls, searching for my missing textbooks and school supplies. Lunch was almost over. I sighed in defeat and turned to start heading back when I heard a cry from down the halls.

"What are you doing? These cost money!" I turned to see Piko wrestling what seemed to be like a soaked textbook out of two boys' hands.

"Piko?" I walked over, becoming the center of their attention.

"Tch…! Kagamine…" One of them muttered as my presence became aware to them. "Let's go." He said, signaling his friend.

"Apologize!" Piko demanded and grabbed one of the boys by his wrist.

"Piss off, Utatane!" He said and shoved Piko to the floor before exiting from the scene.

"H-Hey…" I took Piko's hand and pulled him up to his feet. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"What was that about-?" My words trailed off as soon as I saw my name on the soaked textbook. That was MY textbook. "Oh."

"It's a bit wet, but you should still be able to use it." Piko handed it to me and dusted himself off.

"Thanks…" I said hesitantly and took the textbook. He got into an argument for me? Did I misjudge this Piko's character…?

"People are starting to talk… You should be careful." Piko said before heading off.

People are starting to talk? What's that suppose to mean…?

* * *

For the umpteenth time during the hour, the volleyball flew toward my blind spot- and for the umpteenth time, I missed. What the hell?

"Kagamine! What the hell are you doing? Pay attention!" One of my so called teammates shouted from the back.

"Sorry." I muttered again and rolled the ball back to the opposing team. It became aware to me that all the members of the opposing team were targeting me. Why? Did they have a death wish?

Regardless, I bit my lip and braced myself for the next attack. This time I was ready. I sidestepped and bumped the ball over the net a bit too hard. I could feel my wrist begin to swell. I cursed under my breath when the ball flew back toward me once again.

"I got it!" In the spur of moment, all I could see was a swirl of teal rushing to the front. There was a thud; the ball was spiked to the floor on the opposing team's side. I looked to the person who had spiked the ball. It was none other than Miku Hatsune. "Hey there, Rin-chan!"

* * *

**My New Year's resolution = To not procrastinate as much with my stories… Hahah…**

**Just a heads up, I might be starting a new story soon, so check it out if you're interested! :D**

**This chapter was actually pretty difficult to finish. I kept changing Len's part since I wasn't too sure if everything was concise with what he's saying and how he's feeling. Overall, this chapter was still pretty enjoyable to write since I got to focus more on the characters' friendships.**

**Thank you everyone who reviewed! And a even bigger thank you to my readers all the way from when I first uploaded this story! I hope you all have a happy new year! **


	6. Piko

**I-I updated early for once… ; u ;**

* * *

_Chapter Six: Piko_

* * *

"Miku Hatsune…?" I stared at the girl with long teal hair in disbelief.

Why is she helping me…?

"Just let me take care of things, okay?" She winked and returned her attention to the opposing team.

"What the hell, Hatsune? You can't do that! You're not even-!"

I didn't understand it… Why would she help me? We had never talked to each other face to face before- this was the first time. Did she have some sort of ulterior motive-?

"Shut up." A sudden growl from the front interrupted my train of thoughts. What surprised me the most was that it came from, none other than, Miku Hatsune.

* * *

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

The sound of the ticking clock echoed throughout the room. The nurse was absent from the office and so, Miku- in place of the nurse- treated my swollen wrist.

"There- all better!" Miku smiled at me as she finished tying the knot to keep the bandage in place. I examined my bandaged wrist, eyeing the slightly visible bump caused by the volleyball, wincing at the thought of dark and purplish bruise. "Rin-chan," Miku broke me out of my concentration, "have you been getting bullied lately…?" I was shocked, not because she was so straightforward, but because there was actual concern in her words.

"Why… Why are you so concern with me…?" She was Len's friend, not mine- and yet she not only defended me in my time of need, but she also helped bandage my injury, and on top of it all, she was now concerned for my wellbeing- why?

"Why? Because… You're interesting…" Miku mumbled, becoming shy all of a sudden.

"E-Excuse me?"

"I want to be friends with you." Miku stretched out her hand toward me, waiting for me to shake it. She had a serious expression on her face as well. I couldn't help, but let out a snicker or two. Eventually, I broke out into full laughter.

This person… I was wrong, she has no ulterior motive. She's so honest and straightforward… How could such a person exist?

"Rin-chan…?" Miku said, reminding me of her presence.

"S-Sorry…" I managed to say, but broke out into another laughing fit.

"Does that mean no…?" Miku's expression became a confused one.

"N-No…! Not at all! Yes, absolutely," I took her hand and shook it.

Miku's smile immediately returned, "Please call me Miku then-! Wait, more importantly, are you okay? Have you been getting bullied recently?" Miku's smile was replaced with a serious expression.

"Ahah… No, not at all."

I wasn't necessarily being bullied…

"Ah… Okay. But if anything happens, please don't hesitate to come to me! Oh yeah, let's exchange phone numbers!"

Miku and I proceeded to exchange our contact information with one and another, complimenting each other's cell phone strap and what not.

"Rin-chan, you can go ahead of me. I'll stay behind and clean up."

"Mmm. Okay." I gathered my things and proceeded out of the nurse's office.

Miku didn't need to know about what's happened. She's a nice girl. She doesn't need to be involved in my plans with Len.

"You're getting too close with them." I stopped, hearing Piko's voice.

"What do you mean?" I turned around to see him coming down from the staircase I just passed.

"Neru Akita, Miku Hatsune, and Mikuo Hatsune- you need to watch out for them. You're straying from what we originally planned. Don't forget your target is Len Kagamine."

"I know what I'm doing, Piko! So don't interfere in my business!" I suddenly shouted, not thinking beforehand.

What have I just done…?

"I hope you haven't forgotten… Lily comes home soon. Get your act together, Rin Kagamine!" Before I had a chance to apologize, Piko stormed off. I started after him, but stopped when I felt something under my foot.

I looked down to see a small notepad on the floor. Piko must have dropped it. Curiosity had gotten the best of me and I slowly flipped open the notepad. I immediately regretted it afterwards though because I fell speechless as I flipped through each page.

* * *

[GAKUPO'S P.O.V.]

"What? Got nothing to say, Utatane? Come on, why don't you get on your knees and beg for us to spare you?"

"Enough." I stood up from my position and approach Utatane. The others around him scattered away. "Scared?"

"Of you? Hell no, samurai freak." He spat his words out, chuckling like a maniac to himself.

"You're still resisting even though you already retain so many injuries? What are you- a masochist?" I slammed my fist into his stomach, but still he did not even grunt nor did he scream. Instead, he only gave me the same hateful glare that he had been giving me all along.

* * *

[RIN'S P.O.V.]

I stared at the scene before me in complete hysteria. Delinquents, a dozen of them probably, surrounded the school roof. Piko had lain on the floor, bloodied and bruised. He did not make a move. My eyes shifted to his attacker, Gakupo who carried a practice bamboo sword- most likely from the school's kendo club.

"People like you disgust me… Apparently, harming Lily wasn't enough for you! You and your mother actually had the gall to go after my family too!" Gakupo shouted, enraged.

"It wasn't my intention to harm anyone…" I could hear Piko mumble out barely.

"BULLSHIT!" Gakupo raised his weapon, preparing to attack again.

"Stop!" Without thinking, I ran in front of Piko, halting Gakupo's action.

"Who the hell…? Wait… You're Kaito's friend, Rin Kagamine… Get out of the way." Gakupo remained unfazed.

"No." I managed to choke out.

I was frightened. I could feel the cold sweat begin to form on my forehead. I really wanted to run away and leave Piko behind. So why didn't I? Was it because I had a kind heart? No, I'm not that sort of person.

"Kagamine, just leave before you regret it! This doesn't have anything to do with you!" I could hear Piko say weakly.

"Sh-Shut up… This would look extremely lame if I just decided to leave after I came to save you…" I muttered out randomly.

Gakupo must have grown impatient because the next thing I knew, Gakupo hit the floor with his weapon, creating a sharp _'WHACK!'_ sound.

"If you two are done talking… I think I'll be continuing where I left off-!"

"Will you now?" A familiar voice entered into our conversation, interrupting Gakupo. I glanced over to the door.

"Luka…" Gakupo spoke softly.

Indeed, it was Megurine-sensei. I was just as shocked at her arrival.

"You disappoint me, Kamui-san." Megurine-sensei's heels clacked against the surface of the roof, highlighting the boldness of her presence as she made her way over.

"Leave…" Gakupo said, signaling for the group of delinquents to disperse. He did not make the effort to look them in the eyes, only turning his head slightly toward them. His gaze was continuously fixated on Megurine-sensei.

As commanded, the delinquents left the scene in an orderly manner, making sure not to cross Megurine-sensei's path nor make eye contact. It was as if they knew there was something between the two, Gakupo and Megurine-sensei.

"Kagamine-san," Megurine-sensei gazed over at me with a warm expression. "Please take your friend to the infirmary."

I did as I was told and pulled Piko up, supporting him with his arm slung over onto my shoulder. We left the scene, in the same manner as those delinquents- without looking back, without making eye contact, and definitely without questioning either two.

* * *

Neither Piko nor I dare speak to each other as the nurse treated his injuries. Our gazes avoided each other. Awkwardness filled the room.

"There, all done. Please wait here while I go phone your parent." The nurse left the scene.

In an attempt to start a conversation, I held out Piko's notepad and in an instant, he grabbed it from my hands, holding it protectively.

"Did you look inside?" Piko finally spoke out.

"Yes."

I didn't lie. Or more so, I couldn't lie- no, not after reading through it.

"It's dangerous- borrowing all that money from a loan shark. Was that why you were working at Meiko's-?"

"Shut up! Jeez, you don't know anything!" Piko shouted. His voice was hoarse and shaky. He was crying.

"Then please enlighten me." I glared at Piko.

"Fine! You want to know so badly? My mother was whoring herself out for money to pay off my dad's debt! When dad died, she married Lily's father, when he died, she married Gakupo's father!"

"You and Lily… Aren't related…?" I asked.

I was an idiot. Out of all the things he said, this was what I chose to respond to. I was being so insensitive.

"No, we're not."

"Then Gakupo is your step-brother-"

"Don't be a fool. His father divorced my mother right after he found out."

I didn't know why. Was it because I truly pitied Piko? Was it because I felt that I was obligated as a human being to comfort him? I didn't know why, but I hugged him.

"What are you doing?"

"It's called hugging. Since you're my partner in crime, I guess I'm obligated to comfort you."

"Thank you." Piko managed to say after a period of silence. His words weren't forced, not like last time.

* * *

[LEN'S P.O.V.]

"Rin?" I approached her as she exited the school's gate. We started our way home. "You're out late today. I was waiting for you at the library today too. How come you never showed up?"

To my surprise, she didn't respond in the rash manner I expected her to.

"Sorry." Her voice was soft and her expression was calm.

Did I hear her correctly? Did she just apologize to me- me of all people?

"Oh right!" I whipped out two admission tickets to the theme park. "Let's go." I gave her my best smile.

Rin took one of the tickets from me and examined it. "UTAU Land? Ah, this is for tomorrow. Wait- aren't you supposed to be studying? The make-ups for the midterms are soon, aren't they?"

"I'll be fine. Besides, I need a break." I chuckled.

It was a lie. I wasn't fine at all. The only things that I had learned were the topics we covered yesterday. But even so, I really wanted to go there with Rin.

After a long moment of contemplation, Rin finally spoke. "Alright."

I could feel my inner-self punching the air and jumping in joy. Rin said yes. She said yes- to me. Hah, in your face, Kaito.

"I'll meet you outside of the theme park at 10 o'clock then." Rin said.

"Wait, we're not going together?"

"I have some things to take care of beforehand. Well then, later." She waved.

Rin was about to turn right to the intersection when I caught glimpse of what looked to be blood on the sleeve of her uniform. I immediately took her hand, stopping her. At the same moment, I realized her wrist was bandaged.

"Wait! Rin… You have blood on your sleeve… And your wrist it's…" I paused, fearing that what I thought may be true. "Don't tell me that you got into a fight…" My voice became a low whisper.

It then dawned upon me as to why she never came to the library.

"Was this why you never showed up…? Who was it?" I gave her a serious expression.

Rin only stared at me with a blank expression. "Don't worry. It wasn't anything like that." She looked over to her bandaged wrist, holding it gently. "This was an accident during P.E. and as for the blood… Well, it's not mine."

The blood wasn't Rin's? Dozens of other possibilities entered my imagination.

"Listen, I'm tired, okay? So I'm going." Rin said. She left before I had the chance to question her any further.

* * *

[RIN'S P.O.V.]

I entered my room and collapsed onto my bed in exhaustion. I was nice to Len- Len of all people!

I pulled out the admission ticket he had given me, examining it once again. Piko was right. I was straying from our plan. I have to work fast.

A sudden beeping interrupted my thoughts. It was my cell phone. I got up and pulled it out of bag to read the text message:

_ Lily just came home._

* * *

**Not much of Len/Rin in this chapter, but I thought Piko deserved his own chapter at least so he would have a chance to explain himself a bit. I'm a bit unsure about RIS's genre now since most of my recent chapters aren't really focusing on comedy. It's currently 1:56 A.M. right now and I have school in the morning. Why am I still up- especially when I have a very, VERY sore back and neck at the moment? ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS GOOD NIGHT. = u =;;**


	7. Façade

**I'm a bit late updating… ; u ;**

* * *

_Chapter Seven:__Façade_

* * *

[RIN'S P.O.V.]

As the doors opened, I sprinted off the bus toward my destination as quick as my feet would carry me. As I made my way toward the theme park's location, my conversation with Piko yesterday began to resurface in the back of my mind.

_("Lily is back…?" Rin's voice trembled along with the hand she used to hold her phone with. "What do you mean she's back? You said that she was coming back in one month!"_ _Rin said in a panic._

_ "Calm the hell down!" Piko shouted with a notable amount of panic in his voice as well. _

_ Rin couldn't calm down. No, Lily was back- how could she calm down about something like this? Lily, she saw through Rin's façade the very moment that they had first met- she knew exactly what sort of person Rin was and what sort of goal she had. Lily knew- she knew everything._

_ "Look, she'll be attending Yamaha with us one way or another, so just be on your guard. I don't want her to know about our plans.")_

Lily was back and my goal is not all that entirely different from back then. I can't help, but feel that history is repeating itself. Could this be divine punishment?

At the same moment that thought had crossed my mind… The first thing I saw when I reached my destination was the very person who saw through each and every single one of my masks- Lily. For a moment there, I was paralyzed with awe and fear. I didn't know when, but I had stopped running. Perhaps seeing her was what brought my entire body to a halt?

"Oh. It's been a while. Hello, Rin." Lily said, bringing me back to my senses. I didn't even notice that she had become aware of my presence.

"H-Hello." I managed to say while glancing away, bringing all eyes on me.

"Oh, Rin. I didn't expect to see you here. Hey there!" Haku said in a cheerful voice that I rarely heard her ever use.

"Hey…" I waved weirdly at my friend.

I hadn't noticed it, but Haku had been with Lily the entire time. When I finally brought my eyes to examine the surroundings, I had noticed that Len was there as well. Was he… Talking with her?

"Well then, I'd hate to interrupt your date with Rin." Lily said, looking over to Len. "Have fun." She gave him a teasing smile before leaving with Haku.

Have fun… Oh, right. That's why we're here.

"Took you long enough," Len gave me a toothy grin before taking my hand and leading me inside the theme park, "let's go."

"Yeah, sorry."

* * *

[Neru's P.O.V.]

"I can't believe you called me all the way out here just so I could help you with _this_!" Mikuo complained once again as we continue to stack the boxes of prizes atop of one another.

"It's not like I forced you into doing this. I _did_ ask you first-" I tried to explain.

"I thought you were asking me out on a date." Mikuo interrupted.

"Please, no. Dating you once was enough. I do not need to relive that tragedy again." I joked and placed the last box down. "Come on, it's our turn to go man the ferris wheel." I started toward the attraction ride, leaving Mikuo behind.

"Ouch, Neru-chan. That stung." Mikuo said as he caught up to me. "But seriously, let's go out again." Mikuo said with his face inching ever so closer to mine.

I would have reacted if a pair getting on the ferris wheel had not caught my attention. And it was because the pair especially resembled Len and Rin so strongly that I had become completely unaware of Mikuo's attempts to make a move on me.

"Move, idiot, I can't see." I pushed Mikuo's face away and strained my neck to confirm my suspicions.

"Ow! H-Hey! Seriously, do you have something against my face?" Mikuo started complaining again. "Neru?"

"There. Do you see those two?" I pointed out to the couple of whom I was referring to.

"Hm?" Mikuo stood, hovering over me to see who I was referring to. "Isn't that Len… and Rin?"

* * *

[RIN'S P.O.V.]

"Rin, did something happen?" Len said, taking my attention away from the view. I turned to look at him who sat in the seat across from me.

"What?" I stared at Len, surprised. "No." I gave him a reassuring smile.

Why had Len ask me that? Did I not seem alright to him? Or did he notice the uneasiness I felt when Lily was there?

Had I been discovered? Did he know? Did Lily tell him everything? With each and every single question that came to my mind, I shuddered just slightly. What was I to do if he had found out?

Before I knew it, Len had gotten up from his seat abruptly and made his way over to me. His expression was dark and serious.

"You shouldn't get up while the ride is still moving-"

"Please stop acting." Len placed his hands over my shoulders and pushed me deeper into the cushions of the seat.

"Argh… Excuse me?" Irritation accompanied my words and I glared daggers at him. I felt myself losing patience. I was surprised at myself for how long I was able to keep up with him.

"You're lying- saying you're fine and all when you've been acting so strange."

"I haven't been acting strange at all. Just what are you trying to do?"

"I have known you long enough to know when your smiles are sincere and when they are fake." Len continued to pry.

"You must be mistaken because the last time I checked, I don't smile a whole lot in front of you." I argued back.

It wasn't a lie. All he has ever done was cause me pain. Because of him, I wasn't able to smile. I only cried. I hated him so much.

"Is it because of Lily? Do you not like her? Or did I do something wrong again?" His words struck the final blow.

There are occasions when my brain stops working and I start to spout whatever nonsense comes to mind, oblivious to the future consequences. This was one of those times.

"Just because we go to the same school and have the same classes doesn't mean you know shit about me! Just who do you think you are?"

"Your friend!" Len said, silencing me.

For the moment, I was unable to comprehend the situation. My lips trembled as I searched for the right words and my eyes wandered away.

"Well, then… That's enough of that." I glanced over to the door to see it was opened. There stood Mikuo and Neru.

"Mikuo? Neru?" Len stared at his friends, awestruck.

"I'm going to use the restroom." I got up, knocking Len back and proceeded out of the cart, to the girls' restroom.

* * *

"Just how long do you intend to stall?" Neru asked. I heard a sigh come from her when I didn't answer. "Sorry."

"Huh?" I looked up at Neru for the first time since we've entered the facilities. "Why… Why are you apologizing to me?"

"I accused you of lying last time and I also suggested that you were actually still hung up over Len. It was horrible of me." Neru smiled.

I felt a tear in my heart. Neru was apologizing to me… She was apologizing to me for something that she had been completely right about. All I could do was give her a slight nod- I didn't dare to tell her the truth.

"So what's bothering you? I know you wouldn't say those things unless you really had something on your mind."

"Am I really that readable?" My gaze shifted away once again.

"It's because I'm your friend."

Neru had had given me the same exact reason that Len had given me- so why was it that I did not freak out this time? Oh. It was because he asked about Lily, wasn't it?

"Lily… She's back."

"What? Is that why…"

I nodded. "I wonder if she told Len everything… I wonder if she hates me enough to do that after finding out that I was responsible for their break up…"

"Are you scared?"

"Ahah… I guess I am." I bit my lip, trying to hold myself back from my feelings.

There was a period of silence after that. I looked over to Neru to see her staring at the floor, mulling over what I had just told her. And then finally, she continued again.

"It's too late to regret over your past actions, Rin." Neru smiled sadly at me. "All that you can do is reflect over them so that it doesn't happen in the future."

And for the second time today, I was left speechless. Neru hadn't sugarcoated her words to comfort me- instead she had told me to move on. I chuckled to myself for a while. That was probably the best advice I've heard in a long time.

"Come on. We can't stay in here forever." Neru winked before unlocking the door to the restroom and leaving.

I stood there, slightly refreshed and turned to face the mirror. It was fine. _I_ was fine.

* * *

[NERU'S P.O.V.]

I tapped against the send button on the screen and watched the message on my phone send itself over to Mikuo. I looked back over to the door to see Rin coming out. Rin, you said you were scared, but why would you be scared if Lily told Len? Are you falling for him again?

* * *

[RIN'S P.O.V.]

When Neru and I regrouped with the others, I was greeted with a sudden tackle… er… Hug. When I recovered from the sudden attack, I was surprised to see Miku was the one who was hugging me. I looked up to see Len and Mikuo grinning at me.

"I told Mikuo to call her here. Let's have some fun." Neru said in her usual calm and collected voice.

"Rin! Let's go on the rollercoaster!" Miku dragged me off before I could answer.

And like Neru had planned, we did enjoy ourselves that day. The whole incident I had with Len that day hadn't bother me at all anymore.

* * *

The day had ended and the five of us had parted ways. Len, of course, having the same route I take home, accompanied me. I would be lying if I said that I didn't feel an awkward tension in the air.

"Sorry about today…" Len began, speaking for the first time since we parted ways with Neru and the others. "But you know… I'm glad you're back to normal."

"I didn't really think much about it-" I stopped in my tracks when Len's actions and words finally register into my mind.

He's glad that I'm back to normal?

_("Rin, did something happen?")_

_ ("Is it because of Lily? Do you not like her? Or did I do something wrong again?")_

_ ("Just because we go to the same school and have the same classes doesn't mean you know shit about me! Just who do you think you are?"_

_ "Your friend!")_

The memories came rushing back one by one. I found myself in shock at the realization. Len had been thinking about me? Was he perhaps worried?

"Rin?" Len called out and began approaching me.

As if it was instinct, my body shifted away and words flew out of my mouth once again. "I'm going first. I'm not feeling well." I replied before breaking out into a sprint. I didn't want to give Len the chance to respond.

By the time I arrived home, I realized that I was in a state of chaos. What was going on? Had I been wrong about Len? If that was truly the case then can I even justify what I am doing anymore?

I looked to my right to see that the plates of food that I had left for my mom on the table were untouched. She hasn't been home… She was working herself too hard again.

I was about to clean up the food when I heard a sudden beeping from my pocket. It was my phone. I whipped out the mobile device to see that I had a new text message:

_Are you okay? Don't work yourself too hard._

_ -Len_

New guilt and confusion descended into my heart. Len, just what kind of person are you?

* * *

**I really, really do need to apologize this time. I know I told some of my reviewers that I would update by the end of February, but well… Yeah, I have no excuse. I won't lie! Procrastination is procrastination! ; o;**

**This chapter was actually rewritten 3 times because I hadn't planned for any of it to happen like I did with the others. By the way, if you feel like this chapter's format felt familiar, it's because I was trying to mirror Rin's feelings in this chapter to Len's feelings in chapter 5. . w.**

**Thanks for reading! ; u;**


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